The present invention relates in general to event notification systems. In particular, the present invention relates to a device that automatically transmits a standard-format report signal when an event occurs in a monitored situation. The standard-format signal can be received and understood by remote standard-format receivers within range of the device, so that personnel present at the remote location, or those monitoring the receiver, can respond to the event.
In a particular preferred embodiment, the present invention relates in general to maritime emergency alarm systems. In particular, the exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to a device that automatically transmits a pre-formatted message using the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) protocol when a person or object unintentionally enters a body of water. The system of the invention is activated when, for example, the person or object falls from a ship or dock into the water, when a ship lists or sinks, or when a crewmember or passenger otherwise becomes incapacitated and is unable to manually activate an alarm.
Systems that monitor a situation or location for occurrence of an event, and which provide an alarm in response to the event, are well-known and are embodied in many different designs. Some of these systems include devices that are particularly designed for alerting potential rescuers in the event of a maritime overboard emergency. These devices, once activated, send a signal indicating that an emergency event has occurred. For example, some devices issue a simple alarm signal, such as a flashing light or audible signal. Activation of these devices may be automatic, such as by contact with water, or manual. The alert issued by different devices varies, and devices that issue such alerts, known as emergency position-indicating radio beacons (xe2x80x9cEPIRBsxe2x80x9d), are organized into several classes. Some classes of EPIRBs are capable of transmitting data, which may include the name or location of the vessel in trouble. These signals may be of the type that are monitored by a constellation of satellites, in which case the alarms are relayed to local rescue resources. Some of these devices generate special-purpose alarms, such as man overboard alarms, which can warn the crew in the event that a person falls overboard a vessel. A transceiver on the vessel can relay the alarm to other systems, such as EPIRBs or marine radios, for rescue backup.
Another system for alerting authorities in an emergency is DSC. An international committee conceived and standardized Digital Selective Calling in the early 1970""s. Its purpose is to expedite the handling of traffic in the maritime service by facilitating more efficient calling and to provide a more automated standard distress and safety system. Recently, many nations have been encouraging the implementation of DSC systems in the VHF band in hopes of relieving some of the congestion on the voice distress and calling channel, channel 16. DSC helps solve this problem because it uses channel 70 VHF (156.525 Mhz) for its routine calling.
In the near future, a network of Public Coast Stations will be equipped to receive VHF/DSC calls and to offer the mariner completely automatic telephone facilities.
The Coast guard petitioned the FCC in 1992 to require that all marine radios made or sold in the US have DSC capability. The Coast Guard also asked the Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM), a non-profit standards organization, to develop a standard that would allow incorporation of DSC in a marine radio without affecting the low-end market price of that radio. The FCC solicited comments on that petition in 1992 and 1993 and prepared a Notice of Proposed Rule Making on that and other radio communications matters in early 1994. The FCC requested comments concerning that rule making from May through November of 1995. On Jun. 27, 1997, the FCC adopted a Report and Order requiring that any radio type accepted on or after Jun. 17, 1999 must include at least minimal DSC capability.
DSC allows mariners to send an automatically-formatted standard distress alert to the Coast Guard or other rescue authority anywhere in the world. Digital Selective Calling also allows a mariner to initiate or receive distress, urgency, safety, and routine radiotelephone calls to or from any similarly-equipped vessel or shore station. DSC allows for addressing of specific other radios when transmitting the alert, and allows others to respond specifically to the caller. This capability is available because DSC may be used to designate a telephone as the terminal equipment in the DSC message, and provide the PSTN address as selection information in the data. Thus, a point-to-point distress call may be completed, even when the receiving entity is not connected to a radio loudspeaker. DSC allows for storage records of failed attempts to reach another radio, at that radio.
Distress alerts can be relayed to other ships within radio range (usually up to about 30 miles) or directly to a shore station, which can forward the alert to U.S. Coast Guard rescue coordination centers (RCC).
It would be advantageous to apply the DSC signaling standard to a man overboard-type device or other safety alarm apparatus. However, no conventional personal safety alarm system interfaces with a DSC-equipped radio to provide a system that will automatically activate during an emergency and transmit the appropriate data using DSC protocols. Further, no radio has been modified to include automatic actuation for transmission of a DSC signal during a crisis event. There is a need for such a device, in order to improve signaling capability during an emergency situation.
Generally stated, there would be an advantage to providing a system that includes a reporting device that automatically transmits a signal having a standard report format in response to the occurrence of an event in a monitored situation. Such a standard-format signal could be received and recognized by any remote receiver, so that a response to the event can be initiated by personnel monitoring the remote receiver. Such a system would be useful in myriad situations in which direct monitoring of the situation for the event is not possible or practical.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a system that senses an event and, in response, automatically generates a standard-format report signal.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a system that senses an event and, in response, automatically generates a report signal corresponding to the event.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a system having a device that senses an event in one of several situations being monitored and, in response, generates a report signal formatted to correspond to the sensed event.
It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide a system having a device that senses an event and, in response, generates a report signal formatted to DSC protocols.
It is also an objective of the present invention to provide a system having a device that senses an event in one of several situations being monitored and, in response, generates a report signal formatted to DSC protocols and having data content corresponding to the sensed event.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for automatically reporting an event includes an actuator, including a sensor for sensing the event and providing an actuation signal in response to the sensed event; a controller, including a signal generator for formatting data corresponding to the event in response to the actuation signal, to form a report signal; and a transmitter for transmitting the report signal. The actuator may include a water-activated switch to sense the event, wherein the event is contact of the apparatus with water, or a motion detector to sense the event, wherein the event is an absence of motion of the apparatus. Alternatively, the actuator may sense a signal corresponding to a change in a monitored physiological parameter of a person coupled to the apparatus. The apparatus may also include a global positioning system receiver. Preferably, the signal generator forms the report signal according to standard digital selective calling protocol, and the transmitter is a digital selective calling transmitter. The transmitter may be disposed in a buoyant cradle. The apparatus may also include a remote receiver for receiving the report signal and formatting the received report signal according to the digital selective calling protocol.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for automatically reporting an event includes an actuator, including a sensor for sensing the event and providing an actuation signal in response to the sensed event; a signal generator for generating a report signal in response to the actuation signal; and a transmitter for transmitting the report signal. The actuator may include a water-activated switch to sense the event, wherein the event is contact of the apparatus with water, or a motion detector to sense the event, wherein the event is an absence of motion of the apparatus. Alternatively, the actuator may sense a signal corresponding to a change in a monitored physiological parameter of a person coupled to the apparatus. The apparatus may include a global positioning system receiver. Preferably, the signal generator generates the report signal according to standard digital selective calling protocol, and the transmitter is a digital selective calling transmitter. The transmitter may be disposed in a buoyant cradle. The apparatus may also include a remote receiver for receiving the report signal and formatting the received report signal according to the digital selective calling protocol.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a reporting unit for automatically providing a report of an event to a remote location includes an actuator, including a sensor for sensing the event and providing an actuation signal in response to the sensed event; a controller, including a signal generator for formatting a digital selective calling protocol signal corresponding to the event, in response to the actuation signal; and a transmitter for transmitting the digital selective calling protocol signal to the remote location. The actuator may include a water-activated switch to sense the event, wherein the event is contact of the apparatus with water, or a motion detector to sense the event, wherein the event is an absence of motion of the apparatus. Alternatively, the actuator may sense a signal corresponding to a change in a monitored physiological parameter of a person coupled to the apparatus. The apparatus may also include a global positioning system receiver. The transmitter may be disposed in a buoyant cradle. The apparatus may also include a remote receiver for receiving the report signal and formatting the received report signal according to the digital selective calling protocol.
According to an additional aspect of the present invention, a process of automatically reporting an event includes sensing the event, providing an actuation signal in response to the sensed event, formatting data corresponding to the event in response to the actuation signal, to form a report signal, and transmitting the report signal. Sensing the event may include sensing contact of a subject of the event with water, sensing an absence of motion of a subject of the event, or sensing a change in a monitored physiological parameter of a subject of the event. The subject of the event may be a person or an object such as a cargo container. Data corresponding to the event may include global positioning system data. Formatting data corresponding to the event may include formatting the data according to standard digital selective calling protocol. The process may also include remotely receiving the report signal, and formatting the received report signal according to digital selective calling protocol.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a process of automatically reporting an event includes sensing the event, providing an actuation signal in response to the sensed event, generating a report signal in response to the actuation signal, and transmitting the report signal. Sensing the event may include sensing contact of a subject of the event with water, sensing an absence of motion of a subject of the event, or sensing a change in a monitored physiological parameter of a subject of the event. The subject of the event may be a person or an object such as a cargo container. The report signal may include global positioning system data. Generating the report signal may include formatting the report signal according to standard digital selective calling protocol. The process may also include remotely receiving the report signal, and formatting the received report signal according to digital selective calling protocol.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a process of automatically providing a report of an event to a remote location includes sensing the event and providing an actuation signal in response to the sensed event, formatting a digital selective calling protocol signal corresponding to the event, in response to the actuation signal, and transmitting the digital selective calling protocol signal to the remote location. Sensing the event may include sensing contact of a subject of the event with water, sensing an absence of motion of a subject of the event, or sensing a change in a monitored physiological parameter of a subject of the event. The subject of the event may be a person or an object such as a cargo container. The process may also include remotely receiving the report signal, and formatting the received report signal according to digital selective calling protocol.